Along with Houlding, Joe Möhle, Matt Pickles, Matt Pycroft, and Waldo Etherington spent 12 nights on the wall and free-climbed 23 of the 25 pitches before topping out on the 1,200-meter peak, the Berghaus website reports.

The team faced snowstorms, crevasses, and polar bears, as well as technical difficulties that forced them to aid-climb two pitches, according to Berghaus. After summiting, the climbers descended quickly to meet a helicopter that picked them up from base camp on July 28.

“After spending a lifetime climbing in the Arctic, I believe that the main face of Mirror Wall is the single most impressive unclimbed wall in the whole of Greenland,” said Paul Walker of Tangent Expeditions, the leading operator of mountaineering and ski touring expeditions to Arctic Greenland, according to Berghaus.

0 Comments

Katie Mackey is the fourth of any American to place first at a Diamond Race. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Katie Mackey Wins Diamond League 3,000 Meters

Fourth American ever with first-place finish

“I came into the race wanting to put myself in the best position I could to win,” Mackey said after the race. “But when I crossed the line, it was almost like I couldn’t quite believe that it happened.”

Mackey, of Seattle’s Brooks Beasts Track Club, closed her final lap in just over 62 seconds, according to LetsRun. Her time of 8:52.99, over Renata Plis of Poland, was a personal best by almost seven seconds.

The Diamond League is a worldwide series of outdoor track meets. Competitors earn points dictated by place in designated events, which are tallied for an end-of-the-year overall champion. Only four Americans have ever won Diamond Race distance events, which include the 5,000 meters and 3,000 meters: Lauren Fleshman in 2011, Shannon Rowbury in 2013, and Ben True in 2015.

Watch Mackey’s race here:

0 Comments

Researchers often observe great white sharks near the Farallon Islands. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Shark Interrupts Swim to the Farallones

Great whites known to roam the area

An attempt by Australian open-water swimmer Simon Dominguez to brave the cold waters between the Golden Gate and the Farallon Islands was interrupted on Wednesday after a great white shark was sighted, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Dominguez had been training for the 30-mile swim with Kim Chambers, a Bay Area resident from New Zealand, who still plans to do the swim between August 8 and August 10, according to NBC. Although four swimmers have made the distance starting from the Farallon Islands, Dominguez would have been the first in history to perform the feat in the opposite direction—starting from the Golden Gate Bridge—and Chambers would be the first woman to swim the distance, which is greater than the English Channel.

After donning only a swimsuit and cap on Tuesday night, Dominguez swam at an even pace for 18 hours, occasionally snacking on homemade protein shakes, which his wife and daughter threw to him from the side of a boat. He was within four miles of the Farallones when a great white shark moved into his daughter’s field of vision, prompting the boat’s skipper to stop the swim.

“Apparently it was swimming around me, and then it started moving straight toward me, and that’s when I thought it was probably a good idea to get out of the water,” Dominguez told KPIX-TV. “It was hard in that I really wanted to finish the swim, but a shark’s a shark.”

The close encounter shouldn’t have been surprising. As Outsidereported in January, the Farallon Islands were an ideal place to observe great whites for OCEARCH founder Chris Fischer, who chose the site to shoot an episode of Shark Men for the National Geographic Channel.

The new HNF Heisenberg XF1 uses a unique swingarm patented by BMWi (BMW’s sustainable mobility program) to allow the drivetrain and electric motor to move with the suspension of the bike instead of being hard-mounted to the frame. This “floating four-bar suspension system” is designed to keep tension constant in the drive train and maintain the same pedal position throughout the 150 millimeters of rear travel.

The HNF Heisenberg XF1 uses a Bosch e-bike system powered by a 400Wh lithium-ion battery that’ll last up to 81 miles per charge. It includes an integrated computer to display information about the electric drive and measure speed and distance.

The XF1 retails for $9,225.

0 Comments

Want to get Outside more?

Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest fitness tips, expert gear reviews, the best travel advice, and more.